Thursday, March 10, 2005
Sen. Boxer News: Ocean Policy Panel Appointment; Hazardous Waste Report
Senator Boxer has been named Ranking Member of the Commerce Committee's Oceans Policy Panel, whose jurisdiction is ocean health, coastal conservation, marine sanctuaries, ocean exploration and oil pollution as it affects oceans.
Two recent reports from the Pew Ocean Commission and the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy have concluded that the "world's oceans are in severe distress." Says Sen. Boxer:
The report, titled Hazardous Waste: Improved Effectiveness of Controls at Sites Could Better Protect the Public, can be found here.
Two recent reports from the Pew Ocean Commission and the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy have concluded that the "world's oceans are in severe distress." Says Sen. Boxer:
I look forward to continuing my work toward protecting our oceans and working with Chairman Sununu to implement the recommendations of the Pew Ocean Commission and the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy.Sen. Boxer has also been active on the issue of hazardous waste exposure. On March 8, Senators Boxer and Jeffords released a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which concludes that the EPA:
... needs to establish more effective mechanisms to protect communities from exposure to toxic contamination. At the vast majority of hazardous waste sites, according to the report, the EPA failed to adequately implement, monitor or enforce remedies necessary to minimize exposure to contamination left on-site after the cleanup was completed.Senator Boxer says that she is "very concerned that the EPA is not doing its job of cleaning up these sites in the first place and is relying more and more on land use restrictions," and that "the Agency is not even following up to see that the public is protected by enforcing these restrictions."
The report, titled Hazardous Waste: Improved Effectiveness of Controls at Sites Could Better Protect the Public, can be found here.
# posted by Mad Kane @ 3:34 PM 
